Google to shutdown goo.gl URL shortener

Google recently announced that it is shutting down its URL shortener service starting this month.

According to a post in the Google Developers blog, Google is turning down support for goo.gl and will replace it with Firebase Dynamic Links (FDL), which are smart URLs that allow you to send existing and potential users to any location within an iOS, Android or web app.

For consumers, starting April 13, 2018, anonymous users and users who have never created short links before today will not be able to create new short links via the goo.gl console. If you have existing goo.gl short links, you can continue to use all features of goo.gl console for a period of one year, until March 30, 2019, when Google will discontinue the console. After that date, all links will still continue to redirect to the intended destination. As an alternative, Google recommends using Firebase Dynamic Links, Bitly, or Ow.ly.

Google launched the Google URL Shortener back in 2009 as a way to help people more easily share links and measure traffic online.

source: Google